The Weinstein Company

This week: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams all earned Oscar nominations for their performances in the period drama "The Master," writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's thinly disguised commentary on Scientology.

Also new this week is the critically acclaimed surreal art film "Holy Motors" and the surfing movie "Chasing Mavericks" starring Gerard Butler and Jonny Weston.

'The Master'

The Weinstein Company

Box Office: $16 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Fresh
Storyline: Paul Thomas Anderson's portrait of drifters and lost souls in post-World War II America follows a Naval vet (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war uncertain about his future until he is taken in by "the Cause" and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Amy Adams and Laura Dern also star.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain "Back Beyond," an unconventional collection of deleted scenes set to music by Jonny Greenwood; eight minutes of behind-the-scenes footage; and John Huston's 1946 documentary "Let There Be Light" about the psychiatric treatment of WWII veterans.
We Say: The best aspect about "The Master" is the return to form of Phoenix who, after announcing that he was retiring from acting, took a detour as a rapper as part of a stunt for the faux documentary, "I'm Still Here." Phoenix is the most engaging part of a largely inert, talky movie, and his fits of frustration while trying to process Hoffman's treatment methods are unforgettable -- and for some viewers will mirror their frustration with Anderson's 144-minute think piece. Phoenix, Hoffman and Adams were nominated for Oscars for their performances.

'Holy Motors'

Indomina

Box Office: $641,100
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh
Storyline: Follow Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) on his limousine journey through the streets of Paris as he transforms into multiple characters for a serious of perplexing "appointments" in this surreal drama by director Léos Carax that combines elements of film noir, musicals, monster movies and crime thrillers. Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue also star in this film that features new music by Minogue as well.
Extras!: Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain a making-of featurette and an interview with Minogue.
We Say: When you load this fever dream into your player, dismiss any and all expectations for a story that makes literal sense or is in any way coherent. This is weird for weirdness' sake and makes most of David Lynch's oeuvre seem straightforward by comparison. It's never really clear if Lavant is playing an actor or someone traveling through parallel dimensions (Lavant played one of the characters, Mr. Merde, in the 2008 film "Tokyo!"), but some of the otherworldly segments featuring talking cars and a dance number with illuminated costumes are strangely beautiful.

'Chasing Mavericks'

20th Century Fox

Box Office: $6 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% Rotten
Storyline: This biographical film stars Jonny Weston as real-life surfer Jay Moriarty and chronicles his quest to conquer the big Mavericks wave in Northern California. Gerard Butler plays local surfing legend Frosty Hesson, who becomes Jay's mentor and teaches him how to survive. Along the way, the two develop a unique friendship that goes beyond surfing.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain an audio commentary and deleted scenes.
We Say: "Chasing Mavericks" was made with the help of some of the biggest names in the surfing world and features some of the most impressive real wave footage ever caught on film, but the PG-rated movie is so gentle and earnest that it wipes out in terms of both drama and excitement.

Also New This Week:

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" Extended Edition
"Silent Hill: Revelation" Blu-ray 3D
"The Hudsucker Proxy" Blu-ray
"Girls Against Boys"

Warner Bros.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Okay folks, it's crunch time. Have you submitted your Oscar ballot yet? There's big money on the line (at least a hundy we hope, right?).

As we do every year on NextMovie, we're handicapping the Oscar races to give you a leg up on your friends, family and coworkers when entering your high-stakes pool, which as we all know is as much about the glory as the greenbacks (freaking Al from finance still hasn't gotten that smirk off of his face for calling Cotillard over Christie in 2008; get over yourself, Al).

Our usual disclaimers: We do not condone gambling, unless you're in Vegas or on a reservation. Good luck!

(And for  a trusty second opinion, check out Joe Reid's Oscar predictions on Film.com.)

Best Picture

Warner Bros.

Here's what's crazy: The snubbing of Ben Affleck in the Best Director category (more on that below) actually made this category a lot more interesting than it would have been. It was starting to look like "Lincoln" was the great emanci-winner here, as off the bat it was the horsey to beat with a leading 12 nominations overall.

But the Academy's abstention from Affleck has clearly energized "Argo" supporters, as we've seen with HUGE wins by "Argo" at every major award function since, with the political thriller taking home the top prize at the Golden Globes, PGAs, DGAs, SAGs AND Critics Choice Awards.

Suddenly its passionate base could more than give Spielberg et al a run for their five-dollar bills (great marketing, btw), but secure it frontrunner status. Is Ben Affleck the new Bruce Beresford (the last director not nominated to see his film win Best Picture, in 1990 for "Driving Miss Daisy")?. I'll let y'all debate that. But yep, "Argo" has officially moved into smart money territory.

Smart Money: "Argo"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Lincoln"
Dark Horse: "Silver Linings Playbook"

Also Check Out: Best Picture Category Breakdown on Film.com

Best Director

Disney

Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow were left off the list for what's surely no good, defensible reason, and yep, the Academy looks like out-of-touch buffoons with this one (but if you think I'm pissed, you should hear Ed Lover). Tom Hooper and Quentin Tarantino would've liked to have been invited, too, you guys.

But let's look at the bright side: Ben and Biggie's snubs have made this category that much easier to predict! Look for Spielberg to take home his third directing Oscar (he also won for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List"). But watch it get super awkward if he forgets to thank Abe.

Smart Money: Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Dark Horse: Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"

Also Check Out: Best Director Category Breakdown on Film.com

Best Actor

Disney

Daniel Day-Lewis may not just be the greatest actor alive, he may be the greatest actor EVER. He may be the oldest actor alive, too; his stunning portrayal of the nation's 16th prez is so convincing you may come to believe he spent actual time in the company of Mr. Lincoln himself  (Second greatest portrayal of Lincoln ever: A gentleman named Robert V. Barron in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.") This is as easy as Oscar prognosticating gets.

Smart Money: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Don't Be Surprised By: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Dark Horse: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Also Check Out: Best Actor Category Breakdown on Film.com

Best Actress

The Weinstein Co.

This race, on the other hand, is as close as they come. You have two actresses on similarly skyrocketing career paths, turning everything they touch into gold (just see the box office receipts for "Mama"), in Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence.

I'll give the slight edge to Lawrence, mainly because the stock of "Silver Linings" seems to be rising (it's the only movie to score nominations in all four acting categories since 1981's "Reds," thanks no doubt to the politicking of Harvey Weinstein), while despite the money-making ways of "Zero Dark," it has its detractors. People whispered that Lawrence's playful "I Beat Meryl Streep!" boast at the Globes could affect her chances, and if that's the case, well, people are lamer than you thought.

Smart Money: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Don't Be Surprised By: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Dark Horse: Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"

Also Check Out: Best Actress Category Breakdown on Film.com

Best Supporting Actor

Have you heard?! All five dudes in this category are previous Oscar winners (and a sixth, Javier Bardem, was robbed blind). This, of course, may confuse Oscar voters: If they've all won, who to recognize on the basis of their whole careers, rather than just these singular performances?

The tide seemed to be turning in favor of Bobby De Niro, who's gone the longest without winning one of those gold, bald statues (his last win was for 1981's "Raging Bull"). His admittedly surprising work in "Silver Linings" seems to be reminding people that this veteran thesp can actually act, not just spoof himself in comedies or collect paychecks for "Righteous Kill."

But that grizzled vet Tommy Lee, who won in '94 for "The Fugitive" and who puts on his very best sad face in "Lincoln," looks like he's back on top after a big win at the SAGs.

Smart Money: Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
Don't Be Surprised By: Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Dark Horse: Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Darker Horse: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
(While We're Doing This, No Shot: Alan Arkin, "Argo")

Best Supporting Actress

Universal

Have you heard?! Anne Hathaway chopped off her hair and dropped a ton of weight for "Les Mis," reportedly slimming down from around 75 pounds to 50. (Those are just estimated reports.) She also only has about 15 minutes of screen time, but you'd have to be a macho man like Russell Crowe (in any movie other than "Les Mis") not to get a little choked up during her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream."

Which was performed live, in case you hadn't heard.

Smart Money: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"
Don't Be Surprised By: Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Dark Horse: Amy Adams, "The Master"

Best Original Screenplay

This one's a toss-up, most likely between "Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty." The only movie that doesn't stand a chance is "Flight." Sorry, "Flight."

Smart Money: No such thing here, but we'll go with "Zero Dark Thirty"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Django Unchained"
Dark Horse: "Amour"

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Lincoln" scribe Tony Kushner has gotten more press than any other writer this year, which should count for something (see also: Diablo Cody, "Juno"). And did you hear his first draft of the script was 8,000 pages long? Still, "Argo" has plenty of momentum.

Smart Money: "Lincoln"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Argo"

Best Animated Feature

2012 was the year Disney and Pixar officially switched brains. It's evident here when you look at the fact that "Wreck-It Ralph" has a better shot at winning than "Brave." But "Frankenweenie," with all of its slick homages to classic Hollywood, could be a serious challenger here.

Smart Money: "Wreck-It Ralph"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Frankenweenie"
Dark Horse: "Brave"

Best Foreign Film

Maybe even easier to call than Daniel Day-Lewis's impending victory.

Smart Money: "Amour"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Amour"
Dark Horse: "Amour"

Best Documentary

It's very, very rare that a non-depressing/heavy film wins Best Doc (last year's aptly titled "Undefeated" among the exceptions). This could be another year. Otherwise, look for "How to Survive a Plague."

Smart Money: "Searching for Sugar Man"
Don't Be Surprised By: "How to Survive a Plague"
Dark Horse: "The Gatekeepers"

Best Production Design

Smart Money: "Les Miserables"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Anna Karenina"
Dark Horse: "Life of Pi" OR "Lincoln"

Best Cinematography

Smart Money: "Life of Pi"
Dark Horse: "Skyfall"

Best Costume Design

Smart Money: "Anna Karenina"
Dark Horse: "Les Miserables"

Best Editing

Smart Money: "Argo"
Dark Horse: "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Makeup

Smart Money: "The Hobbit"
Dark Horse: "Les Miserables"

Best Score

Smart Money: "Life of Pi"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Lincoln"

Best Song

Smart Money: "Skyfall," "Skyfall"
Dark Horse: "Suddenly," "Les Mis"

Best Sound Editing

Smart Money: "Zero Dark Thirty"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Argo"
Dark Horse: "Skyfall"

Best Sound Mixing

Smart Money: "Les Miserables"
Dark Horse: "Skyfall"

Best Visual Effects

Smart Money: "Life of Pi"

Best Animated Short

Smart Money: "Paperman"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Adam and Dog"
Dark Horse: "Head Over Heels"

Best Documentary Short

Smart Money: "Open Heart"
Don't Be Surprised By: "Inocente"
Dark Horse: "Kings Point"

Best Live Action Short

Smart Money: "Curfew"
Dark Horse: "Asad" or "Death of a Shadow"

Also Check Out: More on the Shorts Categories from Film.com

See more of NextMovie executive editor Kevin Polowy's picks on Gold Derby or follow him on Twitter.

]]> http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/oscar-predictions-2013/feed/ 0 http://www.nextmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/argo-poster-250.jpg http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/philip-seymour-hoffman-my-boyfriends-back/ http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/philip-seymour-hoffman-my-boyfriends-back/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:00:09 +0000 Joanna Varikos http://www.nextmovie.com/?p=163786

Disney

Philip Seymour Hoffman has built a respectable acting career over the past few years, picking up one awesome role after another. Besides being the man who will play the key part of Plutarch Heavensbee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," he also happens to be an Academy Award winner, accepting a golden trophy in 2005 for his role in "Capote." With his fourth Oscar nomination this year for his masterful performance in, well, "The Master," the accolades keep raking in for one of Hollywood's finest talents.

Way before Hoffman was being recognized for his work, though, he appeared in a little-known zombie comedy (or "zom com," as we call them now) bullying students and wreaking havoc in his high school hallways. That's right. When Hoffman was just 26 years old, he had a small role in 1993's "My Boyfriend's Back," which centers around a high schooler who returns from the dead and tries to win the heart of his girl crush. Being different in high school sometimes has its problems, and Hoffman happened to be one of them for the student who comes back to life.

Check out this scene as he chases his classmate down the halls with intention of doing serious harm, only to have it backfire. WARNING: Cover your ears if Disney-style name calling is just too much to handle:

And, as an added bonus: "Party of Five" and "Lost" alum Matthew Fox didn't cross the bully's path, but he did make his big-screen debut in the film as the hot jock boyfriend of zombie boy's love interest.

Also Check Out: 'Warm Bodies' Vs. 'My Boyfriend's Back' (Film.com)

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Just when the world was this close to forgetting all about his little too-cool-for-film-school "I'm Still Here" play, courtesy of one stellar performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," Joaquin Phoenix has gone and done it again.

The two-time Academy Award nominee (for "Gladiator" and "Walk the Line") has given his proverbial middle finger to Oscar and declared in advance that he's not interested in what was sure to be a locked nomination for supporting actor in this year's race, thank you very much.

Phoenix unleashed his wild opinions of the awards season hooplah in a new interview by Elvis Mitchell for Interview Magazine.

"I think it's bulls**t," he said of his potential candidacy for the big award. "I think it's total, utter bulls**t, and I don't want to be a part of it. I don't believe in it. It's a carrot, but it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life. I don't want this carrot. It's totally subjective. Pitting people against each other ... It's the stupidest thing in the whole world."

Phoenix's last experience as an Oscar nominee, he explained, is what really turned him off.

Also Check Out: Before They Were Famous: Joaquin Phoenix on 'The Adventures of Superboy'

"It was one of the most uncomfortable periods of my life when 'Walk the Line' was going through all the awards stuff and all that," said Joaquin Phoenix. "I never want to have that experience again. I don't know how to explain it—and it's not like I'm in this place where I think I'm just above it—but I just don't ever want to get comfortable with that part of things."

Supposing he does get a nomination and wins, would he go so far as to pull a Marlon Brando?

Surely director P.T. Anderson (five-time nominee) and co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman (Oscar winner and three-time nominee) are now hoping Phoenix's haughty snub doesn't hurt their own chances at some well-deserved recognition right about now.

Weinstein Co.

Coming off a chorus of critics praising it to the rafters, "The Master" looks to be one of the must see movies of the Fall season. Why must we see it? Because Philip Seymour Hoffman told you to.

Hoffman plays a 1950s religious guru named Lancaster Dodd who takes rambunctious World War II vet Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) under his wing. Their relationship goes from paternal to adversarial when Freddie realizes that Dodd's new-age cult The Cause might be leading him down the primrose path.

Check out these three collage-style clips to get yourself in the proper headspace for "The Master."

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman hosts the TV gameshow "Tell Me Your Personal S**t."

2. Joaquin Phoenix drinks some refreshing Missile Dew.

3. A creepy Phoenix walks the line between romanticism and insanity.

Entertainment One

Playing in a string quartet is a great metaphor for life, but does it also make for a great movie?

That's the question being asked by thew new trailer for "A Late Quartet," which also provides three pretty good answers: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken.

Sounds like beautiful music to us.

Premiering tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival, "A Late Quartet" tells the story of four members of a string quartet (the three aforementioned Oscar darlings plus Mark Ivanir) whose delicate professional balance is upended by lust, betrayal, greed, envy and impending death. You know, pretty much exactly what you expect from classical music.

Add in turns from Imogen Poots and Wallace Shawn, plus a cool voiceover by Walken, and you have a trailer that hits all the right awards season notes. So will Walken, Keener, Hoffman and Ivanir be asked to perform a recital at this year's Academy Awards?

Check it out, courtesy of The Film Stage, and see for yourself.

The Weinstein Company

In the movie equivalent of awarding every player on a children's soccer team a trophy just for showing up, the Venice Film Festival invoked special rules over the weekend to prevent Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" from winning their top honor after jurors had awarded the film too many prizes.

Apparently there is such a thing as being too good.

Telling the tale of a 1950's pseudo-religious cult that may or may not be based on Scientology, "The Master" has been earning major award season buzz right from the moment its first trailer debuted and introduced the world to eye opening performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. And the Venice jury, headed by "Heat" director Michael Mann, was reportedly blown away as well, voting to give the film its top honor as well as awards for directing and acting.

In a bizarre twist, though, Venice recently amended their rules to prevent one film from winning more than two awards, apparently believing that excellence is secondary to inclusiveness. Every film is its own special snowflake and deserves a gold star, right? As a result, the jury had to rescind "The Master's" Golden Lion award and instead give it to Korean director Kim Ki-duk's "Pieta."

"The rules are very specific," Mann told The Hollywood Reporter. "A film may only win one award. The exception is actors. A film could win for actor and one of the other awards, but a film can’t win for actor and Golden Lion."

Mann still managed to trick the system a little bit, as the jury awarded the top acting prize jointly to both Hoffman and Phoenix, while also giving the directing prize to Anderson, meaning "The Master" actually won three prizes instead of one.

"[The Master] was awarded best director because we really thought Paul Thomas Anderson's directing was fantastic," Mann said. “And it allowed us to award the actors. Nobody else could have played these roles. It’s a three-handed triumph."

Unless, of course, you actually think the best movie should win the prize for best movie. But that would be crazy, right?

Getty Images

Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler.

Okay, got that? Just checking, because Philip Seymour Hoffman is talking about what caused him to take on the role of Plutarch Heavensbee in "Catching Fire," the upcoming sequel to "The Hunger Games," and judging by his comments, it's pretty clear he's not all that familiar with the concept of spoilers.

So keep reading at your own peril.

Hoffman, for those of you keeping score, is an Oscar winning, "serious actor" type of dude, so even though he has made some mainstream films before (see: "Mission: Impossible III" and "The Big Lebowski"), fans were pretty surprised when he signed on to play the new Head Gamemaker.

Well, now Hoffman has explained to Entertainment Weekly just why he decided to join Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Donald Sutherland in making "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." And that explanation involves a lot of spoilers.

"It's a great group of actors. It's a great environment. And the character was something I was attracted to. It was just an interesting role," Hoffman said before jumping into Lake Spoiler with both feet. "He's somebody who’s part of the revolution, but you don't know it. The idea that somebody would be risking themselves in such an extreme way to join something that's that dangerous because he thinks it's the future… that's interesting stuff, you know?"

"I've read the script, which is true to the book — I kinda ruined it for myself," Hoffman said in the middle of ruining it for everyone else as well, as Plutarch's role in the revolution is supposed to be a shocking reveal. "But I'm reading it anyway, because I really want to find out everything I need to know about this guy."

Our suggestion? If Hoffman really wants to learn everything there is to know about Plutarch Heavensbee, he should just read his own interviews, because he pretty much just gave it all away.

The Weinstein Company

Now here's the PTA magic we've been waiting for!

The couple of teaser trailers for "The Master," Paul Thomas Anderson's new drama that is almost most definitely inspired by the rise of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, were intriguing but — as can be PTA's way when it comes to promotional materials — frustratingly elliptical. We got a look at Joaquin Phoenix as some sort of troubled soul (who likes to spend time on beaches, apparently) and PTA veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic yet somewhat sinister fella with a rather ambitious agenda.

They weren't much, but as they were the teasers for the new film from the guy who brought us "Sydney" (aka "Hard Eight"), "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," "Punch-Drunk Love" and "There Will Be Blood," we knew they were but fractured glimpses of the true cinematic greatness yet to come and that our patience as we await a look at the bigger picture would be rewarded. And with the release of the full trailer for "The Master," we were right.

Oh boy, is this one going to ruffle some feathers. Check out the trailer below, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, and pledge your own allegiance to "The Master" when it opens on October 12.

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UPDATE: Lionsgate confirms that Hoffman has officially been accepted the role of Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

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Philip Seymour Hoffman: From "Salesman" to Gamemaker?

Lionsgate is reportedly offering a consolation prize to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who didn't win a Tony for his role in Broadway's "Death of a Salesman": a role in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," according to The Playlist.

Hoffman has allegedly been offered the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the successor of Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), the Gamemaker who was executed for "political reasons" in "The Hunger Games." Heavensbee has certain rebellion sympathies, as illustrated by the mockingjay symbol on his watch.

News of Hoffman being offered the key "Catching Fire" role comes hot on the heels of news that he's officially left Paradigm after an 18-year run with the agency and is now going agent-less. Now there's a rebellion if we've ever heard of one!

Take this with maybe more than just one grain of salt. Hoffman may have been offered the role, but that doesn't mean he'll take it. He's not much of a franchise man (except for "Mission: Impossible III" and "Red Dragon"), and he may just want to lie low after the crazy Broadway demands of his run as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman." Also, remember: His "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia" pal, John C. Reilly, was once upon a time supposedly offered the role of Haymitch Abernathy, and we saw how that turned out.

Still, he sure would be great in the role of Plutarch. And maybe a high-paying gig in a big franchise film is just the antidote to being snubbed by the Tony Awards.

Stay tuned, Tributes. A lot can happen between now and Nov. 22, 2013, which is when "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is set to hit theaters.

(Originally published on June 11, 2012, at 10:33 p.m. ET)

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All critics have their own critics, but no matter what your opinion is of his opinions, there's no doubt that Roger Ebert is one of the most important figures in film history, straddling the line between the scholarly and the popular like no one else. But who would the ultimate critic choose to play in a movie about himself?

When asked by Men's Health, Ebert picked Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.

"I don't see my life as a film," Ebert demurred when asked about putting his life story to film. But he couldn't resist the challenge anyway. "I could mention some names, but that would be silly. Well, OK. Philip Seymour Hoffman."

Of course, this is all rhetorical; much as we might like to see a film about Ebert's life, no such movie is currently being discussed. However, Hollywood is always on the prowl for good ideas and considering Ebert's brand new memoir "Life Itself" is scheduled to hit book shelves on September 13, the idea of an adaptation starring Hoffman isn't quite so crazy as it might once have sounded.

All we can say is, we give the idea two big thumbs way up.

Warner Bros.

First a history lesson and then we promise we'll get to the part where George Clooney and Ryan Gosling are totally awesome.

The term "The Ides of March" refers to March 15. It was on that date in the year 44 B.C. that Roman emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated on the floor of Senate by a gaggle of fellow politicians, including some of his most trusted friends and allies.

In William Shakespeare's dramatization of these events, Caesar is warned beforehand by a wizard to "beware the Ides of March," which nowadays is a way of telling people to watch their backs and beware of false friends.

Got that? Good, because the new trailer for Clooney's upcoming political drama "The Ides of March" is here -- and it couldn't possibly look any cooler.

Here's the scoop on "The Ides of March:" Clooney, who also directed the film, stars as a politician running for President. His trusted top aide is one Ryan Gosling, an idealistic rising star on the political scene. When a rival campaign leader -- Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti -- tries to get Gosling to switch sides, loyalties are tested and, well, now that you know what the title means you can assume some backstabbing may or may not take place.

Add in performances from Oscar winners Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei and you have what looks to be one of the must see dramas of the year. "The Ides of March" is scheduled to premiere at this year's Venice International Film Festival, with a domestic release on October 14, but you don't have to wait to whet your appetite and sharpen your knives; here's the terrific trailer, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies:

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Where does a director go after making something as acclaimed as "There Will Be Blood"? That's what we're all hungry to know about Paul Thomas Anderson, but the director is taking his time with his follow-up.

While it lacks a title and a full cast, that next film now has a home with The Weinstein Company. And Joaquin Phoenix.

According to Deadline, the Weinsteins won a fevered bidding war for the rights to distribute Anderson's next film. It's being financed by Megan Ellison, the young heiress who's been championing and supporting a number of independent and cash-strapped films.

But Ellison can't put movies into theaters. The Weinsteins can. They can also wield a lot of publicity power come awards time, which may result in Anderson finally walking home with an Oscar or two.

Anderson will probably need power like that, since his film (once titled "The Master") is already drawing a little controversy.

Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Phoenix, it centers on a World War II soldier (played by Hoffman) who comes home haunted by the horrors of war. Confused by a postwar world and himself, he goes on a quest to discover who he really is. In doing so, he creates a new belief system that attracts other lost souls.

Anything with religion is always going to raise eyebrows, but some insist the film is meant to be a criticism of Scientology, which would undoubtedly anger a lot of A-list talent. We'll see, though. If "There Will Be Blood" taught us anything about this talented director, it's that his films resist an easy interpretation.